Denmark will buy drones and anti-drone systems from Ukrainian companies for the national drone shield it is building, under a cooperation agreed during Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Copenhagen.
Ukraine will supply both drones and so-called antidrones for the shield, Kristeligt Dagblad reports, citing the news agency Ritzau. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus discussed the cooperation on Wednesday.
Speaking at Kastellet in Copenhagen during the presidential visit, Bruus said Denmark is purchasing from a long list of companies, including Ukrainian ones. He added that development in the field is moving quickly, and that this is the opportunity Denmark now has.
Per the same report, the cooperation covers drones and antidrone systems. Those are systems that can detect drones and also disable them in various ways. At a short press conference, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was pleased with the cooperation and with the new project, and that it concerns both Ukrainian and European security.
What the Ukrainian suppliers are being paid for
According to Interfax-Ukraine, Zelenskyy said Denmark has allocated 100 million dollars this year for buying Ukrainian drones and other weapons under the so-called Drone Deal. The same report states Ukraine will share its experience in using these weapons with its Danish partners.
Interfax-Ukraine also reported that Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen announced a 32nd Danish military aid package worth 4.8 billion kroner, plus 150 million kroner for Ukraine’s energy sector. Liga.net put the package at 645 million euros, covering attack drones, interceptor drones, F-16 ammunition and the PURL program. Accounts of how the figure is split between weapons and energy support differ between outlets.
Why the announcement comes now
The trigger is Zelenskyy’s visit to Denmark on November 10 and 11, 2026. DR covered the visit live, including Frederiksen’s remarks on Ukraine’s role in European defense and Zelenskyy’s address to the Folketing, which DR describes as the first by a foreign head of state.
TV 2 reported that the visit included a stop at Kastellet, where Zelenskyy was shown Danish-made defense and surveillance equipment, including a SkyWatch surveillance drone. Ukraine and Denmark had already signed an agreement under the Drone Deal framework in Ankara on July 7, 2026, according to GlobalSecurity.org.
What the drone shield means for foreign residents in Denmark
The drone shield is a state defense project, procured and operated through the Danish armed forces under the Ministry of Defence, known in Danish as Forsvarsministeriet. The reporting on Wednesday’s announcement does not state where the systems will be placed, when they will be in service, or what Denmark will pay the Ukrainian suppliers in total. No statement on the cooperation had been published on the Prime Minister’s Office or Ministry of Defence websites at the time of writing.
That means the announcement, as reported, changes nothing in the rules that apply to people flying drones privately in Denmark. Those rules sit with the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority, and any change to them would be published separately. For residents on a foreign passport, the practical point is budgetary rather than regulatory, since the purchases are financed from Danish defence spending that all taxpayers in Denmark contribute to.
